Loading and unloading apparatus for carrying liquids between a floating ship and land



Sept. 7, 1965 Eux SUZUKI 3,204,658

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS FOR CARRYING LIQUIDS BETWEEN A FLOATING SHIP AND LAND Filed J11I16-l8, 1965 25 4 15 F1' -4 l 12 Fig@ United States Patent O 3,204,653 LUADING AND UNL'OA-DING APPARATUS FOR CARRYING LIQUIDE BETWEEN A FLOATING SHIP AND LAND Eiji Suzuki, 628 Kuroltawa, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, Japan Filed June 18, 1963, Ser. No. 288,777 Claims priority, application '.llapan, Feb. '26, 1963, '38/ 9,467 4 Claims '(Cl. 137-236) The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying liquids between an off-shore ship and land, i.e. for supplying liquids such as fresh Water and/ or liquids such as petroleum .and the like, from land to the ship and vice versa.

In the case of supplying liquid from an on-shore tank to the ott-shore ship `and vice versa, methods and system-s in which a buoy is employed as a supply medium have been available in the past. More particularly, such supply operation has been accomplished by connecting a supply line from the ship side to the buoy which is in communication with on-shore tanks and is oating on the water surface, followed by supplying the above mentioned liquids. It is understood that the supply lines consist of two type lines, one of which is a system wherein the supply line is kept floating with its one end connected to the buoy, while suspending the supply operation to and fro, and the other is a -system wherein the supply line is :submerged on the bottom of the water and its one end is connected to the buoy and it is provided with air bags or air hoses attached thereto so that it may be lifted from the bott-om of the water to the water surface. The former has disadvantages, such that the supply line might be damaged due to the shock lof waves, and that its supply line would prevent the sailing of the vessels. The latter has such disadvantages that the structures for attaching said air bags or air hoses to the supply lineare complicated as well as the life of said air bags or air hoses is so short as -two or three years and, therefore, their annular cost for maintenance amounts to approximately $8,000 to $11,000 and that during the supply operation these lifting devices attached to the supply line might be damaged due to the shock of waves or the bumping against the hull of a floating ship or other supply lines such as loading and unloading.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a loading and unloading apparatus which eliminates all disadvantages in the apparatus which have been used in the past.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved loading and unloading apparatus which accomplishes a very effective supply operation and has a long operating like.

With these and other .objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational View of a loading and unloading line connected to a oating ship;

FIG. 3 is .a sectional view of one portion of the loading and unloading line;

FIG. 4 is a view, partly in section, of the connecting structure of a supply buoy and supply hose; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view disclosing the structure of a counterilow Valve installed at the end of the air hose.

Referring now to the drawings, a buoy 1 constituting a supply means for supplying liquids leading to a floating ship 2, and a supply hose 3 which is connected to another hose by means of a coupling 4, to provide the necessary length of the supply line for connecting the buoy 1 with the ship 2 and which is submerged to the bottom a of the sea during the operation of loading and unloading. On the bottom a of the sea is disposed a liquid supply pipe 5 which is connected by means of couplings 7 to constitute a pipe line .for connecting the on-shore tank to one end of the hose 6, the other end of which is fixed to the buoy 1.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an end cap 8 is attached by means of bolts 9 to the coupling 4 iitted to the extreme end of the supply line 3 .and installed therein is an air line 10, the end of which terminates at a point adjacent to the end cap 8. The air line 10 consists of a plurality of air hoses which are interconnected by means of joints 11, and the air hose adjacent to the buoy 1 is connected to an L-shaped tube 13 which is attached to a connecting ring 12 intervening between the buoy 1 and the supply hose 3, whereby the end of the air line 10 communicates with a compressor or air supply means 15 installed on the buoy 1.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the air line 10` is provided with a counterow valve or check valve 16 at its end adjacent to the end cap 8. The valve 16 consists of a joint 17 which connects the valve 16 to the air line 10, the main body of the valve 16 having a valve seat 18, and a valve body supporting tube 22 is provided, wherein a valve body 20 is disposed. The section of the latter is substantially -of diamond shape, the Valve body 20 being pushed against the valve seat 18 for the valve member by means of a spring 21. The joint 17 and the main body 19 of the counterilow valve 16 are connected together by means of stationary ring 23, .and the supporting tube 22 is screwed to the main body 19 of the counterfiow valve 16. Compressed ah supplied through the air line 1t) from a compressor 14 will open the valve body 20 against the force of the spring 21 and will flow into the supply line 3, the eX- treme end of which is closed by means of the end cap S, whereby the supply line 3 will produce the buoyancy and consequently it will be lifted to the water surface by the buoyancy thus produced. The Valve 16 may successfully prevent the compressed air `once supplied in the supply line 3 or the liquid remaining in it from owing backward into the air line 10.

Intervened between the extreme of the supply hose and its adjacent one is a short pipe 24 which serves tor fix the end of each of two chains 25 for connecting the supply line 3 to the ship 2 during the supply operation. Each chain Z5 extends along the extreme surface of the 4supply hose and another end of each chain 25 is attached to the coupling 4 by means of shackles. Connected at the end of the supply hose is a rope 27 having a oat 26 at its other end. In the case of connecting the supply hoses, eachar hose 10 in the supply line 3 will be connected to each other by means of the joint 11, then a ilange 28 formed on the end of the coupling 4 xed to the supply hose 3 will be connected to the flange of the `adjacent coupling 4 by means of bolts 29 and thus all the supply hoses will be interconnected.

The supply hoses 3 thus interconnected will be laid on the bottom of the sea while the supply operation is suspended. As compressed air is supplied tothe inside ofthe supply line 3 through the air line 10 from the compressor mounted on the buoy 1, the sea-water remaining in the supply line 3 will be forced to flow toward the buoy 1 and the supply line 3 will begin to be lifted due to the buoyancy which is produced rst in the free end portion of the supply line 3 and then in the rest portion thereof. As compressed air is successively supplied, the sea-water in the supply line 3 will be sent under high pressure to the pipe line 5 placed .on the bottom of the water through the buoy 1, whereby the whole body of the supply line 3 will come to float `on the surface of the sea due to its buoyancy.

In order to facilitate the lifting of the supply line 3, the end cap 8 attached to the free end thereof, the coupling 4 and the short tube 24, etc. are required to be made of metal which is as light as possible, preferably such as corrosion resistant aluminum casting.

The end of the supply hose 3 which has been lifted to the surface in such a manner Ias described above, will be pulled upward onto the ship 2 by hauling the chains 25.

Since the buoyancy :of the supply line 3 cornes to reduce upon the initiation of carrying liquids such as petroleum, and the like, the chains 25 perform lan important function in order to securely fasten the hose 3 to the ship 2 by means of the chains 25 the compressor 14 will be stopped, and then an operation of supplying a liquid will be initiated. Thus intermediate supply hoses of the line 13 will be stopped, and then an operation of supplying a liquid will be submerged by a slight depth below the surface of the water as a result of reduction of their buoyancy due to the Weight of a owing liquid. Because of supplying liquid keeping the intermediate supply hoses 3 submerged as described, it is possible to avoid difculties, which have been encountered with conventional apparatus, when supplying a liquid, keeping -sets of the supply lines oated on the surface of the water, such as causing the damage to a coat of a point on the hull of the floating ship or damage to the supply lines themselves, as a result of bumping against each other during bad weather.

Upon the completion of carrying the liquid, sea-water will be supplied into the supply line 3 from the ship 2, in order to supply the liquid which remains in the supply line 3 to the on-shore tank passing through the buoy 1. After the abovedescribed operation is completed, the end of the supply 'hose 3 will be disenagaged from the ship 2, the end cap 3 will be attached to the end of the supply hose 3, and then the supply hose 3 will be thrown off to the sea. The supply line 3 which has been thrown oit will be submerged to the bottom of the sea, resulting in completely avoiding the damage which has been encountered due to waves lon the surface of the sea.

Though operation of the loading and unloading apparatus according to the present invention has been described for one set of the supply line, two sets or several sets of supply lines may be `available as the occasion requires, wherein the operation of each line is the same as in the other set.

Due to such a construction that the air line is installed in the supply line 3, in order to cause a lifting of the latter the loading and unloading apparatus, according to the present invention, has many advantages, which are essential for supplying liquids between a oating ship and the lland, for instance, that the loading and unloading apparatus, according to the present invention, can avoid the damage which has been encountered with the conventional apparatus as that it may accomplish the desired purpose without rfail, and that it can remarkably lessen the production cost and the maintenance cost compared with methods and systems which have been available in the past.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I yclaim: l. A loading and unloading apparatus for supplying liquids between a loating ship and land, comprising a pipe line with its end connected to land and with another connected to a buoy and a supply line with its free end and with another connected to said buoy,

said pipe line and said supply li-ne being interconnected through said buoy,

said supply line having its free end capable of opening and closing by means of an end cap and having an air line terminating at a point adjacent to the freeend of said supply line and provided with a counterow valve at its end, whereby said supply line is submerged keeping its free end closed by means of the end cap while suspending `an operation and it may be lifted to the water surface by supplying cornpressed `air i-nto the inside thereof through said air line when initiating the operation.

2. The loading and unloading apparatus for supplying liquids between a oating ship and land, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said air line includes means for supplying compressed .air to said supply line.

3. The loading and unloading apparatus for supplying liquids between a floating ship and land, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a compressor supplying compressed air to said air line .and mounted on said buoy.

4. The loading and unloading .apparatus for supplying liquids between a floating ship and land, as set forth in claim l, which includes an .air supplying header supplying compressed air to said air line and mounted on said buoy.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 729,992 6/03 Baker l4l 388 X 2,701,375 2/55 Ault 9 8 2,847,962 8/58 Land 9 8 X 2,894,268 7/59 Briebe l37 236 X 2,955,626 10/60 Hartley l4l 279 3,074,082 l/ 63 Griebe 9 8 3,077,615 2/ 63 Schultz 9 8 FOREIGN PATENTS 203,959 6/59 Austria.

144,362 3/54 Sweden.

ISADOR WEIL, Primary Examiner.

`M. CARY NELSON, Examiner. 

1. A LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUIDS BETWEEN A FLOATING SHIP AND LAND, COMPRISING A PIPE LINE WITH ITS END CONNECTED TO LAND AND WITH ANOTHER CONNECTED TO A BUOY AND A SUPPLY LINE WITH ITS FREE END AND WITH ANOTHER CONNECTED TO SAID BUOY, SAID PIPE LINE AND SAID SUPPLY LINE BEING INTERCONNECTED THROUGH SAID BUOY, SAID SUPPLY LINE HAVING ITS FREE END CAPABLE OF OPENING AND CLOSING BY MEANS OF AN END CAP AND HAVING AN AIR LINE TERMINATING AT A POINT ADJACENT TO THE FREEEND OF SAID SUPPLY LINE AND PROVIDED WITH A COUNTERFLOW VAVLE AT ITS END, WHEREBY SAID SUPPLY LINE IS SUBMERGED KEEPING ITS FREE END CLOSED BY MEANS OF THE END CAP WHILE SUSPENDING AN OPERATION AND IT MAY BE LIFTED TO THE WATER SURFACE BY SUPPLYING COMPRESSED AIR INTO THE INSIDE THEREOF THROUGH SAID AIR LINE WHEN INITIATING THE OPERATION. 